Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that private providers contracted to run asylum accommodation services deliver on their contractual obligations.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at:
New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-awarded
The Statement of Requirements sets out the delivery standards providers are required to meet. It also sets out provider obligations in adherence to legislation such as the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 as well as duties such as under section 55 of the Border, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, and the children’s duty, to safeguard children from harm and promote their welfare.
The Home Office has published Key Performance Indicator statistics covering the contractual obligations accommodation providers and others working in the asylum sector are required to deliver. This has been done since April 2020. This data is available on .gov.uk.
In all proposed accommodation sites, our accommodation providers work through a standardised regulatory checklist to verify the appropriateness of the site, including a detailed risk-assessment in advance of use. We work with our providers to carry out due diligence checks which include all relevant health and safety checks to ensure a site is able to operate in a legally compliant manner with all relevant standards met. We have also recently invested in ensuring these checks consider the mental and wellbeing aspects of asylum seekers and we are committed to working with all relevant providers to improve and build on the high service standards we expect.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers is prioritised while in asylum accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at:
New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-awarded
The Statement of Requirements sets out the delivery standards providers are required to meet. It also sets out provider obligations in adherence to legislation such as the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 as well as duties such as under section 55 of the Border, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, and the children’s duty, to safeguard children from harm and promote their welfare.
The Home Office has published Key Performance Indicator statistics covering the contractual obligations accommodation providers and others working in the asylum sector are required to deliver. This has been done since April 2020. This data is available on .gov.uk.
In all proposed accommodation sites, our accommodation providers work through a standardised regulatory checklist to verify the appropriateness of the site, including a detailed risk-assessment in advance of use. We work with our providers to carry out due diligence checks which include all relevant health and safety checks to ensure a site is able to operate in a legally compliant manner with all relevant standards met. We have also recently invested in ensuring these checks consider the mental and wellbeing aspects of asylum seekers and we are committed to working with all relevant providers to improve and build on the high service standards we expect.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the average level of profit that private providers have made running asylum accommodation in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
It would not be appropriate to comment on commercial arrangements with suppliers.
All Home Office commercial contracts are designed to ensure the best value for tax payers and the Home Office closely monitors its contractors performance, including financial results. Any profits above the agreed contractual margins come back to the Home Office.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce childhood obesity.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, sugar or salt in key selling locations, came into force on 1 October 2022. We will be implementing restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price such as ‘buy one get one free’ or ‘3 for 2’ and will introduce restrictions on the advertising of less healthy products before 9pm on TV and paid for less healthy product advertising online. We are also working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation.
In addition, we are supporting more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Schemes and helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School PE and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase access to mental health services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We remain committed to the aims of the NHS Long Term Plan, investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year by March 2024 to expand and transform mental health services in England. This extra funding will enable an extra two million people to be treated by mental health services in the National Health Service by March 2024.
We expect integrated care boards to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard by increasing their investment in mental health services in line with their overall increase in funding for the year.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people died whilst waiting for an operation in (a) Bury South constituency, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) England since 24 October 2022.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The data requested is not held.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are awaiting a decision as of 7 November 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
As of 10 November 2023, we have approximately 2,000 ARAP applicants awaiting a decision, including those applications we continue to receive each week.
Overall, we have received over 95,000 unique applications to the scheme. We are diligently combing through our records, searching for every eligible applicant and will leave no stone unturned to find all ARAP eligible Afghans.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases have been accepted under the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK.
The latest published Operational data fact sheet on Afghan resettlement schemes shows the following by ACRS pathway, we have now resettled: 9,676 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 66 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 41 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.
Operational data is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next publication due around the 23rd November 2023.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims have been accepted under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme since April 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
Since 1 April 2023, a total of 372 Principal applicants have been found eligible for relocation under the ARAP scheme.
I should note that the ARAP scheme is an application-based scheme offering support and assistance to those who worked for or alongside the UK in Afghanistan. It is not intended as a relocation scheme for refugees.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims have been rejected under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme since April 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
Since 1 April 2023, a total of 67,338 ARAP applications have been found ineligible.
ARAP was always intended to be a relocation scheme specifically for those who served in the employ of the British military (in all but a very narrow number of cases), or in support of wider UK national security objectives, as set out in the specific eligibility criteria in the ARAP policy.
A finite number of Afghans are therefore eligible for ARAP and The Ministry of Defence are prioritising finding and relocating those who we know are eligible.